I didn't know what Global South meant, but I looked it up. 29. Søren Pind, Minister of Justice in Denmark, concluded the discussion by declaring that respect for human rights stemmed from universal aspirations.“Individuals everywhere want the same thing: #clmooc#writeoutpic.twitter.com/7dOxKnJ1wV

Click the link for the thread, wherein other members of #clmooc chimed in — some of us knowing and some of us not knowing that “Global South” is a similar reference to “third world” countries; it refers to the disparity between the northern, more prosperous countries and the southern, less prosperous countries.

Moshie pointed us to the International Peace Institute article describing some of the issues. After peaking around at a few sites, I found the origin of the phrase started with Carl Oglesby, who thought the term more favorable than “third world” or “undeveloped” countries. While visualizing a map to revise based on my original southern hemisphere map, I found that this issue was discussed and applied frequently in the 1980’s with German Chancellor Willie Brandt suggesting a way to map out those countries still struggling; the line became the Brandt Line:

A new century nears, and with it the prospects of a new civilization. Could we not begin to lay the basis for that new community with reasonable relations among all people and nations, and to build a world in which sharing, justice, freedom and peace might prevail?

And finally, since we’re “mapping” many things here: understanding, geo-economic/political, and global, here’s an image from my classroom, hanging on the wall since 1986 and the subject of many conversations each year:

There’s a lot packed into that story; here’s an interview by Pineapple Suitcase with Stuart McArthur.

Our only purpose on earth is to accumulate experiences, for which travel is a prerequisite. Our greatest need is not shelter, food, or sex; it’s to understand. We can read about an oyster, touch an oyster, have people describe oysters to us, but until we’ve experienced eating an oyster we don’t have understanding of oysters.

It’s always good to see through others’ eyes, to gain a new perspective so we grow and learn together. And WriteOut and CLmooc certainly offer the chance for participants to understand their world, a global world.

How do you stretch and open your perspectives to improve your understanding of the world?

Welcome

Glad you stopped by to learn with me!

Read within these posts a technology journey in a middle school language arts media class as well as my own professional development through tech play.

Technology is a tool to expand one’s connections in the world, build learning communities, and empower others to do the same. It can be welcoming, inclusive, and collaborative as well as a vehicle for learning about the world together.